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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · branch · cap · perch · arm · ground · kick · spell

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. spell — letters
  3. ground — crushed
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cap — a lid
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. lie — to recline
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cap — a hat
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. spell — a short time
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — magic
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kick — in football
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — of ice
  23. ground — a position
  24. branch — a division

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com